Look Out Brooke Shields!

Nora has something that none of our babies have had...

Yup--eyebrows!

She takes after her dad with those babies-

Luckily, she has beautiful eyes framed by those brows

and a sweet, calm demeanor.

She didn't even cry when getting her flu shot-

she just looked at me as if to say,

"What is that pain? Oh, it's gone, I guess I won't cry after all"

She loves to be cuddled and we happily oblige her!

Halloween Party

We had our ward Halloween party over the weekend!

It is always fun to dress up and have fun with our friends.

We started off with a grumpy cupcake, but she improved dramatically with some bribery!

Thanks to Grandma for making the great costumes-

We put in our order in September and Grandma delivered 3 very cute cupcakes and a goldfish!

Thanks to Nana for my baker's hat to match the cupcakes!

Indianapolis Marathon

We headed down to Indianapolis for the weekend so Paul could run another marathon.

First, the kids did awesome on the road trip--especially with the extra traffic getting out of Chicago!

Second, it was really cold, but the kids were great troopers to support their dad.  We also have to thank our friends-the Paul family, and especially Michelle

for helping out with the kids so Nora could get a nap.

(We had a long night before the run--Nora was sick and I drove through the streets of Indy at 2 am to find a 24-hour Walgreens.  She had tylenol and juice and was back to her happy self.)

Paul did great--he was tired and sore, but he made it!

Brent also ran it and got in at 3:30--amazing!

All-in-all another great race weekend!

Halle's Birthday Celebration

Halle had such a fun birthday--she wanted to have a party with friends, so we braved Build-A-Bear Workshop with some of her friends--plus some older siblings--

Halle came home with a new friend--a kitty named Taco!

Aunt Heather was here to help us celebrate Monday night!

Halle opened her presents, had a Barbie ice cream cake, and collapsed on her bed after a long, fun day!

She had a great day and it was so fun to watch her enjoy her birthday!

Happy Birthday Halle!

Halle is 3 today!

She is so excited for her birthday--this is such a fun stage with her!

She loves life and every day is an adventure.

She'll ask me what we're going to do that day and whatever I say, her response is "Yay!"

She has a tender heart and will cry when she sees someone sad--

when we're watching a sad part in a movie, she's in tears because someone is crying.

She loves her brother and sisters

Her laughter and exuberance are contagious

You cannot help but laugh when she's with you

She always wants a hug and a kiss (on the lips) before bed

She has a sparkle in a her eye and a captivating grin

We are so glad she is in our family

Fashionista

Afton has become a bit of a fashionista--

she takes a long time every morning to figure out what she's

wearing to school that day as well as what accessories

and shoes or jacket/sweater she's putting with it.

She came home last week very proud of herself:

Her teacher told her how cute her outfit was

and another teacher that she doesn't know loved her skirt.

It was a good day for Afton!

Putting out the flames...

We finally got to celebrate Paul's birthday as a family--

the kids were so excited to party with their dad!

We opened presents, sang happy birthday and had a delicious ice cream cake.

Notice the fire engines Matt made and parked by the cake so they could

put out the fire from Paul's candles.

Happy Birthday Paul!

It's that time again--

Paul's big day, so we get to brag about what a great dad and husband he is!

(and is it just me, or does he look EXACTLY the same in every picture?)

Thanks for being a hero to our kids and my biggest fan

Thanks for your endless patience and unconditional love

Thanks for making us the "big rocks" in your planner

We love you and hope you have a fun day!

We will be celebrating on Sunday

because Paul is currently in St. George

to run his 3rd marathon!

Good luck on Saturday!

Halle in September

September was a big month for Halle-

She started dance and got a new haircut.

She also drew on the walls and the floor, stuck a key in an electrical outlet, ran over to a friend's house in the middle of the street, hid all of Nora's binkies, got taken out of Sacrament meeting twice in one day, and learned how to unbuckle her seat belt.

It's been eventful for all of us!